hospital in Yuma, Arizonaowed $20 million for medical services provided to illegal immigrants.
“We calculated that in the six months from December 2021 to May 2022, we were billed $20 million for services we provided exclusively to immigrants that no one else could claim,” Dr. Robert Trenschel said. increase. The president and CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center told his Signal Daily in a telephone interview Wednesday.
At Yuma Regional Medical Center, about 285 miles southwest of Phoenix, there’s a large 406-bed hospital, but “we’re the only ones here,” says Trenschel.
“With the maternity ward at 125% capacity and the influx of migrant pregnancies, we had to delay the planned introduction for people in the community,” the doctor said. . “And we don’t have staff, we don’t have doctors. In some of those situations, we don’t have the space to accommodate the volume.”
Trenschel said his staff provided the same quality of care to everyone, but it was “unsustainable” for his hospital to continue treating illegal immigrants without being paid. is.
Five to 10 illegal immigrants come to Yuma Regional Medical Center’s emergency department every day, the CEO said, adding that treatments ranged from dialysis to heart surgery.
Illegal immigrants are ‘getting free’ health care At this point, people here don’t get free healthcare,” Trenschel said.
At the end of the day Trenchell said daily signal, his hospital needs someone to bill for treatment. The situation Yuma County is dealing with “is a federal initiative and a federal problem for me, our hospitals, and our communities,” he said.
The hospital’s CEO has reached out to state leaders, members of Congress and other federal leaders with “no response”. Although he appears to be sympathetic, no action has been taken to pay the $20 million bill.
The Daily Signal reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
US Customs and Border Protection’s Yuma Sector Arizona covers 181,670 square miles near the southern border. Border Patrol agents in this sector are responsible for protecting 126 miles along the border with Mexico.
Yuma Sector Border Patrol facebook page Its agents arrested 6,400 illegal immigrants during the week of 27 November to 3 December. The week before, agents arrested more than 5,900 people.
Jonathan Lines, a Republican on the Yuma County Board of Supervisors, told The Daily Signal that it’s common for immigrants to cross the border illegally and call 911 to get medical care.
Lines, who was at the border in Yuma Wednesday morning, said he saw two ambulances at the scene as “people were complaining of a medical emergency.”
All of Yuma County is feeling the impact illegal immigrationsaid Lines.
“I spoke with the Border Patrol [Monday] And they showed 170% to 180% overcapacity at their processing centers.
Only one processing center will serve the Yuma area, which will accommodate 2,000 immigrants, but currently houses nearly 5,000, according to Lines.
“It’s a stand-up facility that probably costs taxpayers $7 million to $10 million a week,” he said.
Rising numbers of illegal immigrants entering Yuma County from Mexico could force border agents to release them on the streets. This means that immigrants will be released to the streets of Yuma after processing. These migrants are typically held in processing centers until transportation can be arranged to their final destination within the United States.
The number of illegal transits at the US southern border is expected to increase by the end of 2020. title 42, a public health measure that has enabled border guards to expel illegal immigrants quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court Consider the future of measuresbut the Biden administration has called for Title 42 to end on December 27.
If Title 42 were to be unlocked, “the system would completely collapse,” Lines said.
“We invited [Biden] Administration to come and see [the border],” he said. “They’ve never been here. It’s ridiculous.”
President Joe Biden is have not visited the border Since taking office in January 2021, Biden traveled to Arizona earlier this month to visit the construction site of a new computer chip factory.
Before Biden left the White House, Fox News’ Peter Doucy asked the president why he wasn’t going to the border.
“Because there are more important things going on,” Biden replied.
Lines argued that the Biden administration’s handling of border security constituted “malpractice” because the situation “endangers people’s lives, businesses and property.”
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